Steve Baxter
From Outback Apprentice to Tech Investment Trailblazer
Steve Baxter, a proud Queenslander, born in the remote town of Cloncurry and raised in Emerald, left school at 15 to join the Army’s apprenticeship program, specialising in electronics, telecoms and guided weapon systems. At 23, he risked his life savings of $11,000 to launch SE Net, an internet service provider, from his Adelaide home, eventually serving over 35,000 customers before its acquisition by Ozemail/UUNet under the stewardship of its founding Director and now Prime Minister, Malcolm Turnbull.
In 2001, Steve co-founded PIPE Networks with a schoolmate, a venture that grew into a major wholesale telecom infrastructure provider listed on the ASX in 2005. Eight years later, they sold PIPE Networks to the TPG Group for $373 million. Steve’s also spent a year working with Google in California in 2008, where he led a project delivering high-speed telecommunications systems across North America.
Since 2010, Steve has been a pivotal early-stage investor through Transition Level Investments, fostering the growth of Australian start-ups, helping to launch a host of companies, boasting a valuation of more than $100 million all together. He founded River City Labs, a renowned Brisbane-based tech startup hub, and initiated Startup Catalyst, River City Labs Accelerator, and RiverPitch programs. River City Labs, now under the Australian Computer Society since 2018, continues to thrive across the east coast.
Steve’s influence extends to various industry boards and forums, including Vocus Telecoms and Commercialisation Australia, and he served as a Shark on Channel 10’s Shark Tank Australia from 2015 to 2019. Recognised for his contributions, he received the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year for the Northern Region in 2006 and the Pearcey Medal for Lifetime Achievement in ICT in 2016.
Appointed ‘Queensland’s Chief Entrepreneur’ in 2018, Steve engaged with businesses and innovators statewide. Currently, he is the co-founder and Executive Chairman of TEN13, Australia’s leading tech startup investment platform, and Founder and Lead Investor at Beaten Zone Venture Partners, focusing on early-stage investments in Australian legal defence technology.
Beyond his professional achievements, Steve is a devoted family man, married with three daughters, and enjoys hobbies like private piloting and recreational fishing. His journey exemplifies resilience, vision, and a commitment to nurturing Australia’s entrepreneurial spirit.